Spark by Hilton Orlando near Universal

Room 107 had black mold between the shower tiles. The air felt awful, and opening the door brought a damp feeling and a strong bleach smell. I had a runny nose, chest tightness, and a headache after being exposed to it. Management didn't seem interested in addressing the problem, saying no other guest had complained. We were told the hotel was sold out, so we couldn't change rooms until day five, when we moved to room 416. The difference was night and day: no mold, dampness, or bleach smell, and the air was good. Room 107 is disability accessible, and I don't know whether it gets rented less often. But staff, including housekeeping, must know about the mold, since that room was the only one of the two with such a heavy bleach smell. Manager Manni dodged the issue, and after five nights of breathing in mold spores, his offer was one night's compensation, presented as a courtesy. It felt condescending. I'll contact Hilton and Florida's health inspection authority about this. I wouldn't stay here again, and this experience makes me wary of Hilton, especially its budget Spark Hilton brand. The complimentary breakfast had two bagel choices, plain and everything, some cereal, and juice so watered down it was like colored water. Those limited options were nothing compared with spending five days exposed to the mold. Hilton is watering down its brand with this kind of representation.

Rafal at the front desk was rude and unhelpful, and his handling of our family and friends discount booking left us stranded in Orlando, seven hours from home. We had called Hilton to confirm our reservation was valid. He insisted the family member had to be there, but we showed him the Hilton site rules under that family member's account, which said otherwise. He then said we might be right, but claimed all rooms were booked. Nobody should have to deal with this kind of incompetence. We called Hilton and they better accommodate us. After this, I'll never stay at a Hilton again.

We finally got some sleep the second night, after maintenance fixed the AC, which had made awful noises on our first night following a full day of travel. When we went to the desk, they said nothing could be done until maintenance came in the next day, and didn't offer another fix. Our flight was late, so the night before we paid $50 for a late checkout. Then right around noon, they called my cell because the room phone didn't work and said we were past checkout and would have to pay. I'm not sure I can recommend this place.

We killed multiple roaches during our stay, and the way this hotel handled my booking and payment was just as bad. I booked through Expedia months ahead with the pay-at-hotel option, which had never caused trouble before. The night before our stay, I was charged $200 more than the total, before I'd even left for the trip. The front desk person was rude when I called and said I had to arrive by 11 pm or they'd cancel the reservation. We weren't even landing until midnight. He then said they'd need to charge the first night. I've used Expedia at over 100 hotels and never had this issue. It felt almost like a scam. Hilton customer service wasn't much better. They spoke condescendingly and seemed annoyed that I'd used Expedia. Hilton had the stay listed as one night longer than the Expedia booking, so that had to be corrected, and they also had the wrong total. I was forced to pay the first night, and was told the rest could be paid when I arrived. Imagine my surprise when, while on the plane, I saw the hotel had charged the full stay already. I don't understand the point of paying extra for Expedia's pay-at-hotel option if hotels won't honor it. They charged whatever they wanted whenever they wanted, without telling me in advance. I'm shocked by the experience. Check Tripadvisor for other stories about this place being sketchy. The positive reviews seem like they could be bots or something.